Friday, April 20, 2012

Today is LGBT Day of Silence 2012

The Day of Silence is coordinated nationally by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN). A day in which students from around the country take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual& transgender name-calling, bullying & harassment faced in schools by students, teachers & other school staff. Over 500,000 students from nearly 6,500 junior high & high schools in all 50 states & Puerto Rico have participated over the years. PFLAG National (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) the nation's original ally organization & the largest grassroots based nonprofit for families, friends & allies of lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) people issued the following statement regarding Day of Silence 2012. Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National, said the following: “PFLAG National is proud to stand with our colleagues at GLSEN, as well as students, educators & others around the country, participating in today’s Day of Silence. This is an important annual event, one that offers a small glimpse into the world of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning teens & what it feels like to be targeted and silenced by anti-LGBT bullying, harassment & discrimination. GLSEN’s resources are a critical component of PFLAG’s work with our chapters in helping to create safer schools in local communities & GLSEN’s Day of Silence provides a tremendous opportunity to educate local communities about why more must be done to ensure that all children have a safe place to learn, free from bullying & harassment.”According to statistics provided by GLSEN:More than 85 percent of LGBT students have been verbally harassed...

Nearly 20 percent of LGBT students were physically assaulted by theirpeers @ school...

Almost 40 percent of LGBT students reported that faculty & staffnever intervene when homophobic language is used in their presence...